Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ok, so I won't bury the lead, I love this book. If you knew how long I have searched for a book that actually built enough tension, enough atmosphere, for an author to create characters I want to support and to build a level of uncanny that made my toes curl and my skin get goosebumps. If you knew all that, you would understand how incredibly happy I am to have found this novel.

House of Monstrous Women actually succeeded in creeping me out and I enjoyed every second of it.
Our story is set in the Philippines in 1986, we follow our FMC, Josephine del Rosario. She describes her situation, living in a small town, in a big house; she inherited its upkeep after the death of her parents when she was just a child. Whilst her brother has taken the inheritance and gone to Manila to make a success of himself, Josephine is left to tend to the estate.

She talks about the political climate that led them here, with some flashbacks to her growing up, to her friends and to a family in town that rumours swirled around. Despite the warnings to avoid them, she befriended the eldest daughter, Hiraya Ranoco, all she saw was a girl just like her. But the villagers think differently, for the Ranoco's are monsters, Aswang, shapeshifters who eat the dead, or so the rumours say.
To Josephine, Hiraya is her closest friend and ally through difficult childhood moments. An ally she loses when a mysterious fire burns Hiraya's house to the ground and the family moves away, back to their own family estate on a remote island.
As an adult, Josephine desperately misses her childhood friend, feels isolated in her run down manor with little money coming in and her brother not yet the successful politician he had hoped to be. A letter arrives, an invitation from Hiraya after all these years, to come to her home for two days, Josephine jumps at the opportunity. But of course, this is not going to be the nice weekend in the country she is hoping to experience.
This book is full of Filipino folklore, the horrors in the night, the silent veiled servants, the bugs in the walls, the ghosts of a memory. And what is a creepy house, without a good game of hide and seek?
In the background, an uprising of the Filipino people, hoping to overthrow a corrupt government is drip fed to us through radio broadcasts as we follow the more immediate story of Josephines personal challenges, fears and determination to succeed.
I loved this book, I loved the afterword, I loved the characters, I loved the setting, the build up, the tension and the gothic atmosphere. Most of all I loved at one point where I paused and thought, I might actually be scared right now.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars.

Set against the tumultuous socio-political background of the Philippines in 1986, House of Monstrous Women is an unsettling gothic horror that will have you checking every shadowed corner of your home at night. Weaving Filipino folklore with haunted house vibes, generational trauma collides with ancient magic, and a beloved childhood game takes on a sinister edge as already strained relationships are pushed to their limits.

This book was exactly what I wanted. I flew through it, finishing it in a day. House of Monstrous Women is dealing with a lot of themes and topics at once; political corruption, desire, friendship, memory, love, impossible choices and, of course, magic, all while telling a gripping story that will capture you from the start.

The story follows Josephine in the Philippines in 1986. Josephine's parents were assassinated, leaving her alone with her brother who is determined to continue their father's political legacy, even if that means agreeing to Josephine marrying a much older man. They are in a terrible situation as her brother's mounting debts and refusal to communicate with Josephine about what is going on - even refusing to return to their home town and see Josephine - leads to them both receiving a mysterious invitation from a childhood friend of Josephine's, Hiraya. Hiraya, a girl from a family whose family have always been accused of being witches, invites them to her family's legendary home and to play a game. Just a game. But it is a game that could make all of their dreams come true, if they are willing to pay the price.

The characters are easy to get lost in. I think the brother and his partner could have been more fleshed out, but to be honest, I didn't care that much. I was far more enchanted by the complicated relationship between Josephine and Hiraya. The kind of magic that appears in this novel is dark and twisted and demanding. It involves blood and pain and sacrifice, consuming those who wield it which produces a dark, thrilling gothic that I personally loved. I was thinking about it when I wasn't reading it and it has really stayed with me. This was easily one of my most enjoyable reads this year.

When Josephine receives a letter asking her to return to the home of a childhood friend, it seems the answer to her prayers. Destined to marry an old man and live out her life in a way that will subsume her identity and passion, she can't resist the promise of an escape. All she has to do is play a game they once played as children, and if she wins, all that she desires will be hers.

But the house of the Ranoco family is not what it seems. There are secrets beyond the sprawling rooms and dark shadows of the estate that no one ever talks about. And the game they played as children is no longer a game -- it is a matter of life, death, and perhaps something in between...

Daphne Fama's chillingly brilliant novel blends Phillipino folklore, real world history, and it's own twisted take on the haunted house genre to create something that feels very special indeed. Perfect for fans of Guillermo Del Toro or Silvia Moreno Garcia, this feminist fable is by turns unsettling, thrilling and darkly haunting. Like Josephine herself, once you cross the boundaries and enter the Ranoco house, you will find yourself unable to turn back -- and you will willingly play the game until its beautifully blood-soaked ending....

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for an egalley of this book! My opinions are my own.

I'm still fairly a newbie to horror books - honestly I've really only read books by Grady Hendrix before, and those are SCARY but amazing so luckily they didn't put me off! So when I heard about this sapphic horror story based on Filipino folklore I was very intrigued.

The scares started out very classic, with shadows moving in the dark and classic 'nightmares' (but are they??) type of scares, which honestly I find very fun. I will say, without spoiling anything, that if you're not a fan of bugs or insects I would recommend staying away from this book too (it's no Southern Bookclub's Guide to Slaying Vampires - if you know you know - but it still made my skin crawl a bit so use your judgement on that). Then the scares progressed to some pretty spooky stuff and I did really enjoy how scary it was in the end!

On the relationship side I'm a teeny bit disappointed, hence the four stars instead of five, because it was a sweet relationship but it was already kind of established and I didn't feel the growth and much longing, except from Josephine wanting to escape and live happily with everyone in her home town. I would have appreciated a bit more there if it was going to be in the book at all, otherwise it skirts a little too close to pandering in my books.

Overall a fun read, with some genuinely scary bits, and a nice experience reading about Aswang and Filipino folklore in a horror setting.

Monstrous is right. I read an eARC of this book on NetGalley so thank you to the author and the publisher.

This book was absolutely fascinating. I was completely gripped by this terrifying cat and mouse chase in a creepy, unnavigable house. This book is set in the Philippines in the 1980s and the characters live in a back drop of political terror. This punctuates the decisions they make and helps to understand why they’d pursue the dangerous choices they are presented with.

The bulk of this story takes place in an unforgiving house on an island. This was an absolutely fantastic horror house novel, with the character of the house integral to the menace and fear the characters encounter. The setting and atmosphere was just perfect. This novel was seriously unnerving, the tension through the roof as the second half of the story unfolds.

There are some really grim horror elements to this book. I don’t want to give away spoilers, but I would check content warnings if you know there are certain themes in horror you don’t like. It is bloody and gruesome but I didn’t find this gratuitous.

I was so invested in the main character. I felt so much rage on her behalf at the way people tried to force their own agendas on her. I could understand why she came to be where she was and I was really scared for her as the jeopardy increased throughout the book.

Really impressed with this one. Recommend this to horror fans and it’s one I would return to.

This wonderful read made me think it was set hundreds of years ago but it isn't... quite remarkably it is set in 1986 and is a tale filled with suspense, horror and intrigue.

It is a brilliant read and one that held my imagination.

Josephine is invited to the home of her friend, and newly orphaned jumos at the chance to 'play like they used to'

no spoilers from me but this a must read.

I loved the setting. I enjoyed feeling afraid along with Jospehine and I adored my reading time

this needs to be a movie..